


Tranquil

by ModernAgeSomniari



Series: Mala Suledin Nadas [11]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Eli being terrified, F/M, Rite of Tranquility, Vivienne being badass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25956472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ModernAgeSomniari/pseuds/ModernAgeSomniari
Summary: At Redcliffe, Eli has just met her first Tranquil other than Avexis and found the origins of the glowing skulls in quick succession.  She's not doing so well.
Relationships: Female Lavellan/Solas
Series: Mala Suledin Nadas [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1829143
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	Tranquil

Eli’s hands were shaking.

They were walking along the harbour at Redcliffe, there were people everywhere looking at them and her hands were shaking.She couldn’t help it.No sooner had they met that soft-spoken man at the tavern than they’d found their way into that shack at the dirty end of the harbour, stinking of magic and covered in skulls.To make matters worse, Cassandra had then asked Solas about reforming the circle from within.His response had been quick and certain - he would have been made Tranquil, he had no doubt.And now her hands were shaking.

Having come together after splitting up to gather information throughout the village, they had chosen to sit on a low wall to eat whilst looking out at the waves, but she hadn’t yet sat down, looking at the calm, brackish water trying desperately to calm down.An image came to her, clear and brutal in her imagination, of walking into a library to see Solas leaning over some books.She would ask him a question, about spirits or his journeys in the Fade and he would turn to her, branded and neutral as he said;

“I am afraid I cannot answer you.I no longer journey in the Fade.”

She shook her head to clear it of the image, but she couldn’t fight the nausea in her stomach, so she resigned herself to it, turning and stalking over to where he was perched on the wall, feet dangling idly against the stone.She sat next to him and linked their arms, pulling their bodies close together.He was warm and real and startled enough to tense against her.

“Ellana?”

“Don’t, just…just keep eating your lunch, I’ll be fine here.”

He was quiet for a moment, as were the rest of them.She felt very observed.Solas shifted beside her.

“Ellana…”

“Oh I’m sure you can put up with it just for a moment.”

“Ellana, you are shaking.Are you unwell?”

“What?”

She looked up at him and his face was the picture of concern.The hand she wasn’t clutching rested gently on her arm.“If you are ill…”

“I’m not ill, Solas.I’m just…after everything, with all those skulls in the shack where the mages had just left them and then…then what you said about the Circle, I…you wouldn’t be able to journey the Fade anymore.”

The moment the words left her mouth she realised how infantile she sounded.“Ugh, I mean of course you wouldn’t, that’s sort of the point isn’t it?Pretty stupid thing to say…”

“I do not believe it is stupid.”

Solas’ voice was gentle and there was something slightly disbelieving and very tender in his eyes as he looked down at her.“And I…appreciate your concern.Forgive me, I know that Tranquility has frightened you in the past.I did not mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t really.I think was already upset.Everyone just sort of accepts it here, I can’t understand why people can just accept it.”

Solas’ hand had moved to cover where she had grabbed his in her arm-tangle.His thumb stroked along the back of her knuckles, soft and soothing.

“I think your passion is admirable.And you know that I agree with you.”

“But not everyone does and I’m not here to judge that.I just don’t understand.I’m not in the mood to debate it,” she added, seeing Madame Vivienne move to speak out of the corner of her eye.“That’s not what this is about.I’m too worked up to have an academic debate right now.”

“Then there shall not be one.” Solas said firmly.Eli was certain it wasn’t just for her benefit.There was quiet for a moment, the waves on the lake lapping gently up against the wet wood.

“And it’s what I’d do, if I were them.” she said softly, not really knowing where she was finding the courage to speak this particular fear.

“I do not understand.”

She looked up at him, willing him to see what she feared the most.Past the Breach, past the Anchor, past everything.What she feared her fate would be.What she feared she would have no control over.

“I am an apostate, Solas.Not just that, I’m an apostate with an unknown power which everyone knows I don’t have full control over.Right now they need me, but once the Breach is closed?If I survive? It’s what I’d do to me if I were them, once I was no longer useful.It would be the safest option.”

She knew she had spat the last of it and she didn’t care.Solas was looking at her, really looking at her, his grey eyes soft and sad.He couldn’t tell her she was wrong.She wouldn’t expect him to, but she wished he could just lie to her.His hand tightened on her arm and she suddenly became scared that, if they tried to take her for the Rite, that he might try to stop them.

“My dear.”

Madame Vivienne’s voice made her jump.The woman was standing, satin boots brilliant white on the dirty stones.She was so very tall.“I can assure you, if that is what the fools in the Chantry think to do with you, they will have me to deal with.”

Eli was shocked for a moment, until something hard in her made her laugh.

“Oh, Madam Vivienne?Is that so?”

“Absolutely, my dear.Why on earth would it be anything different?”

“Because we disagree so strongly, Madame.” Eli bit back, trying to keep her voice calm.Solas was still stroking her hand.“Because my voice is growing louder as the Inquisition starts growing, because I’ve already set things in motions with the mages that you view as utterly foolish.Would it not be the most expedient way of dealing with me?Getting me out of the way?”

If Eli had shocked her, Madame Vivienne didn’t let her see it.In fact, to Eli’s great surprise, she laughed.

“Oh my dear.Truly whatever do you think of me?Political gain is no reason to force the Rite of Tranquility on anyone.Now,” she added, cutting off Eli’s imminent interruption.“As you yourself said, this is not the moment for philosophical debates.However, rest assured that my ambitions will never, never have you put in front of the brand.”

She brushed some infinitesimal speck of dust off her gown and when she looked up, there was a twist of mischief to her lips.“I’m far more likely just to have you assassinated.”

Eli was dumbstruck for a moment.Then, she was laughing.Full laughing, her knees curling up to meet her stomach, a lightness there had been heavy with dread not five seconds before.

“Madame Vivienne!I can genuinely say that you’ve reassured me.Is that strange?I actually feel a little better.”

Solas was smiling when she looked at him, shaking his head.

“I believe that is completely understandable.Our Enchanter’s word is not be doubted.Although,” he added, shooting a surprisingly teasing look at the woman in question, “I would not necessarily want to be at the mercy of Madame Vivienne’s considerable political clout, either.”

“My clout washes off you like water to a duck, Solas my dear.Let us not pretend otherwise.”

“Oh, come now, don’t fight.” Eli pleaded, resting her head on Solas’ shoulder in her strange new euphoria. "I’m feeling better, it’s a beautiful day - can’t we just agree on this one?”

Sera snorted from somewhere beyond Solas.

“You really think you can find something they’re both going to agree on?Dream on.”

“Oh I don’t know, Sera.” Bull answered quietly from behind them, “I’m pretty sure they just did.”

**Author's Note:**

> I based this off a conversation between Solas and Cassandra where he predicts that he would have been made Tranquil very quickly and how Eli (a Dalish) would react to hearing it. As it happened, Vivienne was in the party as well and it struck me that this was a good opportunity to explore their differing attitudes a little.


End file.
